oliver halsted



j UNiTED Nsrirriis "PATENT onirica.

OLIVER HALSTED, OF NEW YORK, N. .Yr

MACHINE FOR PRODUCING EXERCISE.`

speeiaeatiqn ef Letters Patent iiesaso, dated ivrareh is, 1844.

To all faz/tom, it may concern:

of `the construction and operation of the saine, reference being had to the annexed drawings, makinga part of this specificaq tion, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a liand- Fig. 2 is a perspective view off another variety of the same, arranged for.

machine.

operation by applying a sufficient weight.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another varij ety of the same, designed for healthful eX- 1 ercise, as well as for the treatment of dyspepsia; Figs. 4 and 5 are views of parts in section, not clearly shown in Fig. 3. `The,

letters of reference refer to corresponding parts in the several drawings, and the scale of inches indicates dimensions. Figs. 6 to;

13 are illustrations.

The nature of my invention consists in1 giving to a seat, upon which the patient is placed an exercise similar to that `given to the rider on a horse, with this difference,1

that, in the absence of all effort on the part of the patient,to retain his seat upon the` chair of exercise, (which absence of effort is not obtained on horseback), he may relax` the abdoininalmuscles, which is indispensable in order to `stimulate the muscular coat of the stomach and at the same time restore the peristaltic motion of the bowels so that both resume their healthy action. This machine is used, in connection with other and previous means, as practised by me in the treatment of dyspepsiaand for healthful exercise as well as for invalids.

y To enable others skilled the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation. f l

A A, Fig. l, is a platform of any desirable length tbreadth and height, upon which is a cant-wheelB,`upon the shaft O, placed, on stand D, and a similar stand, not seen in thc drawing, sustaining the opposite endo of shaft C. The seatE is fastened toa pedes- `tal rod; F passing through, guided, and sus tained bythe standG; the cant=lever II rests on stands I, I, and `is connected with the pedestal rod F, by passing into a slot or inortise atthelower end of the saine at` a,

upon which the pedestal bears, and is made b i to move up and down by the action of the `Be it known that I, OLIVER HALs'inD, ofi the city and county of New Yorkand State `of New York, have invented a new and usefulMachine for Dyspeptics and other Iii-V va'lids; and I do hereby declare that the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact description` cant-wheel B, working the lever H.

`A fly-wheel J, is connected with the cantwheel B, `by .the belt K, driving the small pulley L, on the shaft M, turning on stand N, N the crank orewnch P, puts the ina chine `in motion. To counterbalance a portion of the weight placed on seat E, I suspend a weight upon the rod c, or attach a spring underneath the `platform A A.

Operation: The patient being seated upon the chair Ethe operatorturns the crank P, which brings t-lie cants b b in contact with the cant lever H, forcing it down, tilting the saine upon its journals, on stands I, I, raising the pedestal rod F, and the seat E, with it, until the cant leaves the lever by the movement of the cant-wheel B, the weight upon the seat causing it to fall., until the tiplying shaft and pulley.

A variety of the same machine differing fremthe above described, is shown in Fig. 2, in which` the weight Qpropels the machine, causing the drum R, to revolve driving the pinion S, on the winch shaft T, by

the cog wheel U.

The cant wheel B, Fig. 2, is accelerated, being a single cant in one revolution of the shaft upon which it is placed and driven by the cog wheel V, working into the pinions IV, on the cant wheel shaft C, Fig. 2. The

sol

ratchet wheel X, is' fastened to the crank shaft whilethe cog wheel V, upon the saine shaft turns loose on its eye, being clutched by the springcatch Y, working into the ratchet wheel X, when the weight@J is acting upon the machine. y

The necessary weight to operate this variety of the `machine is several hundred pounds, being in due proportion to the reduction of speed and time. `It is hardly necessary to add that to p-ut it in motion, the

operator winds up the weight Q, when it is self-acting during the descent or fall of th same. y

. The variety of the machine represented in Fig. 3 requires a more `particular descripfigure being an imitation of a trotting gait, of a horse and that of the female figure an` easy gallop, the former being designed for. curative and invigorating purposes and the latter for pleasant recreation.

Upon a circular platform or carriage way are placed the trucks A and Al answerable in several respects to platforms A A, Figs. l l and 2. The seats E E (in this figure imitations of horses) are securely aflixed to the ends of the cant levers H H at e e, shown The lever connected with the gallop motion is attached in section in Figs. l and 5.

'at the other end of the same by the shackle bar f, to the crank shaft C', Fig. l, being a part of the axle of truck wheels g, g, g,l Figs. 3 `and 4, which truck wheels -are fastened to the same in order, when in motion, to revolve the crank, and give motion l I place a pedestal or plate upon which the vto the seat.

'Of the lever connected with the trotting motion (see Fig. 5) the end Iopposite to the seat is brought in contact with the cants on cant wheel B, in order that the rotations of f the saine may give motion to the seat, simil The truck wheels '71., h, are made fast 'to the axle. The trucks are propelled by the arm Z, upon the vertical shaft X, which may be driven v by any suflicient power, such as horsepower or steam power, lapplied in any of the welli E that purpose applied underneath the platlar to the kind described in Fig. l.

known ways of attaching driving power.

Fig. 6. is a perspective view of anotherf variety of the same machine; by this ar rangement a person may exercise himself"y or be exercised by others; t-he handles a, a, turn on pivots Aor hinges at their lower ends at Z), ZJ, and are connected by the rods c, 0,; to crank cl, Fig. v6, and a similar crankat the back side upon the shaft e, not seen in 'the i drawings, these 'cranks correspond with g those shown at "eZ, CZ, Fig. 7 the shaft 6,2 Fig. 6,l runs on bushes inserted in the sides of the box A.

Fig. 7. is a sketch in skeleton of 'the internal parts of the machine represented atl Fig. 6; the bolt f, is the saine which is s'een projecting through the side of the box A,.j Fig. '6, at f, Fig. 6, upon which the sway,"l

bar g, bears at its back end turning in eyes, the other end of sway bar g', is connected by eyes, to journals Aof cross bar "71 at z', i, -and serve to guide the pedestal rods j, in a vertical position while moving up and down; the levers 7c, 72, lo, are toggle-joints, connected at their top ends to cross bar h, and at their low-er yends to 'the stand Z, by

the pin m, the center 'pin a, forms the toggle, the shackle bar 0, is connected at one end to the pin n, and the other end to crank p, on shaft e.

Fig. 8. is the pedestal or plate to which the chair is fastened, the eyes s, s, receive the tops of the pedestal rods y', j, Fig. 7 at r, r, being secured thereon by a cross pin. In operation, the crank p, moves the shackle bar 0, and with it the toggle joints 7c, 7c, 7c, 7c, into a straight line by a quarter turn of the shaft e, raising the pedestal rods I7', j, and with them the 'seat or chair at another quarter turn of the shaft e, the toggle joints are bent at the opposite angle causing the pedestal rods to fall as at the beginning, at another one half turn of the shaft the same up and down motion is repeated, and thus by a full revolution vof the shaft, the togglejoints are twice straight 'and twice bent, making two undulations at each turn of the shaft.

Fig. 9. is another variety of the same machine shown in skeleton; the cam a, on shaft Z) moves the tilt lever c, working the pedestal rod ci, up and Idown in bearings, for that purpose in stand c, upon which at f,

chair is fastened; in this arrangement the tilt-lever is vibrated up and down, three times to one revolution of the driving shaft o; the nio-ving parts, excepting the fiy wheel h, and crank g, are inclosed in a suitable box placed on a platform.

Fig. 1D. is 'another variety in skeleton; the friction pulley a, 'on driving shaft o, moves the friction pulley c, on 'crank shaft tl, being held together by the tightening bolt e, furnished with a nut andscrew for form, the shackle bar connects the tiltlever g, with the crank h, moving the pedestal rod e' in bearings in stand j," the Vseat plate is put on at l, and momentum is given to the machine by fly wheel k," a suitable box incloses all the moving parts excepting the crank m, and the upper end of the pedestal rod, and placed on a platform. A ch-ange of this arrangement is made by connecting the shackle bar f to 'a pedestal rod like the one sh'own in Fig. 11.

Fig. V1'1 is another variety in skeleton; the

shackle bar a, connects the 'crank 'ZJ with the Fig. l12, is a 'perspective view of another i.

variety of the same machine; like the one described at Fig. f6, the person yexercised, may perform it, 4or be exercised by,T others. A A A the 'chair or seat; B, B, a wood frame some of the other varieties, being in genwork correspon-ding with the platform in eral form like the lower part of an ordinary chair; C, C, are handles turning on a pivot bar at a, at the lower end, and connected by the shackle bar with the rock bar D; the particular parts which compose this arrangement or variety are seen in skeleton at Fig. 13. It will be seen that four togglejoints are employed, acting in pairs, one pair under the front, and the other pair at the back part of the seat. The pivot bar c, forms the lower joint of the front pair of toggle joint-s, and rest upon the side rail of frame B, B, Fig. 12, at e; the pivot bar cl,

the middle or center joint, and the top joints` are its connection the steps f f; the Jivot bar g, forms the lower joint of the baclr pair of toggle-joints and rests on frame B, B, Fig. 12, at Ji, the pivot bar z', the middle joint, and steps j j, the top joint; the shackle bars 7c, e, connect the front and back pair, of toggle joints; the sway bar, Z, Z, connect the j back stands. or steps, with the steps m, fm,

which are attached by screws to the top part of the front posts of the frame B, B, Fig. 12, at a, n, and serve to keep the seat in its proper position during its action up and down; the steps f, f, and j y' are Screwed to the bottom of the seat, and the same is thus attached to the frame, spiral springs are placed under the seat at the top of each post of theframeB, B, Fig. 12 asseen in part at 79, p, they are sunk partly in the post and partly in the seat the better to keep their place and serve to counterbalance a part of the weight on the seat.

I have thus particularly described the mode of construction, and t-he use and operation of my invention, and in addition, I have given several varieties of machines illustrating the same general principles of action; these illustrations are given merely as examples, to show the different changes of form in the individual parts, to which my invent-ion is susceptible, wit-hout departing from those principles of action by which I produce a new and improved effect upon the stomach and bowels as herein set forth; which examples, are contained in the accompanying sketches, numbering from Fig. 6, to Fig. 13(

The contraction or rigidity ofthe abdominal muscles is the cause ofthe torpid state of the muscular coat of the stomach and peristaltic motion of the bowels, which, when relaxed, both are stimulated and resume their original healthy action, given by the exercising machines hereinV described; this effect is not fully attained, by exercise on horseback; owing to the causes explained in my declaration of the nature of my invention herein stated; I desire therefore that it may be clearly and distinctly understood that although the motion given by these chairs is analogous to that of the motion given to a rider on horse back being alike in some circumstances and effectsstill it is not the same, or substantially the same, and is therefore novel and of new effect. j

Vhat I claim and desire to secure in Letters Patent is,

The giving of undulating or jolting Inotion to a chair by means substantially as herein described; for the purpose of curative treatment of dyspeptics and other invalids, and for healthful exercise; I do not mean to coniine myself to the precise form of` construct-ion of the individual parts, but vary them as I may have occasion, without depart-ing from thegeneral principles of action herein set forthrto wit, the giving of undulating or jolting motion to a chair in contradistinction to a rocking or oscillating movement of the same, of which several examples of such variations are herein shown and specified. j

OLIVER HAIJSTED. Vitnesses:

GEORGE F. HALSTED, THos. W. HARVEY. 

